Wire drawing apparatus



Aug. 18, 1942.

w. MORGAN ET AL 2,293,613

WIRE DRAWING-APPARATUS Filed Jan. 14, 1941 I 1 ///A A x INVENTORS WELD MORGAN JOHN M WHALEN ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1942 WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Weld Morgan, Worcester, and John N. Whalen,

Boylston, Mass., assignors to Morgan Construction Company, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 14, 1941, Serial No. 374,369

6 Claims.

This invention relates to wire drawing apparatus, and more particularly to the construction and arrangement of holders for wire drawin dies.

In the drawing of wire the dies must be firmly supported to resist the tension of the wire, and yet they should be easily and quickly removable for replacement purposes when necessary. Provision for angular adjustment of the dies to vary the cast of the wire is also important. It is also necessary in many instances to provide for the application of soap or other lubricant to the wire, and for this purpose it has been proposed to mount a soap box in the rear of the die block. Difficulties have been experienced however in preventing leakage of soap from the soap box adjacent the wire exit opening. It has also been difilcult to accommodate die blocks of different thicknesses in the same die box.

It is accordingly one object of the invention to provide a holder for a wir drawing die which will support the die firmly in a desired position while allowing removal thereof rapidly and simply when desired.

It is, a further object of the invention to combine a soap box with a die box and associated parts in a novel and advantageous construction so arranged that the die may be adjusted in a desired manner without permitting leakage of soap from the soap box.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a die holder of simple and practical construction which will accommodate die blocks of widely differing thicknesses.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

Referring to the drawing illustrating one embodiment of the invention and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a die holder, taken on the line I -I of Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the front or exit end of the device;

Fig. 4 is an elevation similar to Fig. 2 but showing certain parts swung upwardly in order to permit access thereto;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a die supporting plate and associated parts;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the plate shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of a soap box; and

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 1.

The embodiment illustrated comprises a die box I I] having a bottom wall II, a front wall I2 and two upright side walls I4. Th box is open at the top and at the rear. A bolt hole I5 (Fig. 1) is provided in the rear portion of the bottom wall II for convenience in mounting the box on a wire drawing machine. The front wall I2 is provided with an opening I6 through which the wire may pass, and each side wall I4 is provided with an opening I'I.

Immediately in the rear of the front wall I2 there is mounted an upright plate I9 having an opening 20 therethrough in substantial alignment with the opening I6. Two laterally spaced apertured ears 2| are provided at the top of this plate, and a transverse horizontal cylindrical pin 23 extends through the side walls I 4 and these ears 2| to form a pivoted support for the plate. The lower portion of the plate engages the rear end of a horizontal screw 24 which extends through the wall I2. By turning this screw, the plate I 9 may be tilted to a desired angle.

The plate I9 serves as a supporting member for a die block 26 which engages the rear surface of the plate. This die block is of usual and well-known construction and includes an apertured wire-drawing die 21 (Fig. l) which may be integral with the block but which is preferably made of some suitable material having a greater hardness than the main body of the block. The die block rests upon the upper end of a vertical screw 28 which extends through a rearwardly projecting flange 29 on the lower portion of the plate I9.

Behind the die block 26 there is mounted a soap box 3| having a rear wall 32 formed with an opening 33 for the entrance of the wire and a front wall 35 formed with an opening 36 for the exit of the wire. The front wall 35 engages the rear face of the die block, with the opening 36 substantially aligned with the aperture in the die.

The soap box 3| forms a clamping member which is connected to the plate I9 in such a manner as to urge the die block forwardly against the plate without interfering with movements of the plate about the pivot pin 23. For this purpose the lower corners of the plate I9 are formed with recesses 38 (Fig. 6) to accommodate the front ends of two eye bolts 39 which are pivotally connected to the plate by means of a transverse horizontal pin 40. This pin is preferably located somewhat lower than the bottom of the die block. The rear portions of the eye bolts 39 extend through apertured bosses 42 formed on the bottom of the soap box near the front thereof, the bolts having adjustable clamping nuts 43 thereon at opposite sides of the bosses. An eye bolt 45 is secured to the upper pin 23 between the ears 2| by means of a small set screw 46 (Fig. 1), which prevents endwise movement of this pin. The rear portion of the bolt 45 is screw-threaded to receive a wing nut 41, this rear portion extending through a central slot 49 formed in a transverse upright wall or web 59 on the top of the, soap box and near the front thereof. The bolts 39 and 45 form tension members connecting the soap box to the plate l9.

It will now be apparent that in the operation of the invention the soap box 3| will hold the die block 26 firmly against the plate I9. By adjusting the screw 24 it is possible to swing these parts as a rigid unit about the axis of the pin 23, thereby varying the vertical cast of the wire in a desired manner. During such adjustment, the soap box will remain in contact with the die block throughout an area surrounding the wire exit opening 36, and leakage of the soap will be. prevented. B'y loosening the wing nut 41, the operator can cause the soap box to swing downwardly and rearwardly about the axis of the pin 49, and since this axis is below the bottom of the die block the latter will be released and can be removed laterally through the opening H in the die box. The wing nut 4'! and the nuts 43 can be adjusted to move the soap box forwardly or rearwardly, as may be required to accommodate die blocks of different thicknesses. Access to the nuts 43 may be had by swinging the soap box upwardly as shown in Fig. 4.

Our improved die holder is of-simple and practical construction. Apart from the drilling of a few holes, and the tapping of certain of these, no machine work is required. Consequently the cost of manufacture is comparatively low.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Wire drawing apparatus comprising a die box, an upright plate within the die box, means pivotally connecting the upper portion of the plate to the die box about a transverse horizontal axis, means to adjust the plate about the said axis, a die block engaging the rear face of the plate, a soap box behind the die block, and tension means connecting the plate and the soap box.

2. Wire drawing apparatus comprising a die box, an upright plate within the die box, two laterally spaced apertured ears extending upwardly from the top of the plate, a transverse horizontal pin extending through the ears and supported by the die box, adjustable means engaging the lower portion of the plate to limit forward swinging movement thereof, a die block engaging the rear face of the plate, a soap box behind the die block, tension means connecting the lower portion of the plate to the lower portion of the soap box, and a bolt connecting the portion of the pin between he said ears to the upper portion of the soap box.

3. Wire drawing apparatus comprising a die box, an upright plate within the die box, means pivotally connecting the upper portion of the plate to the die box about a transverse horizontal axis, means to adjust the plate about the said axis, a die block engaging the rear face of the plate, a soap box behind the die block, releasable tension means extending forwardly from the upper portion of the soap box and connected to the upper portion of the plate, tension means extending forwardly from the lower portion of the soap box, and means pivotally connecting the last-mentioned tension means to the lower portion of the plate about a transverse horizontal axis located below the bottom of the die block.

4. Wire drawing apparatus comprising a die box, an upright supporting member therein, means pivotally connecting the upper portion of the member to the die box about a transverse horizontal axis, means to adjust the memher about the said axis, a die block engaging the rear surface of the member, a clamping member behind the die block, and tension meansindependent of the die box connecting the supporting member with the clamping member.

5. Wire drawing apparatus comprising a die box, an upright supporting .member therein, means pivotally connecting the supporting member to the die box about atransverse horizontal axis, means to adjust the supporting member about the said axis, a die block mounted behind said member and in engagement therewith, a soap box behind the die block, and tension means independent of the die box connecting the supporting member with the soap box.

6. Wire drawing apparatus comprising a die box, an upright supporting member therein, means pivotally connecting the supporting member to the die box about a transverse horizontal axis; means to adjust the supporting member about the said axis, a die block mounted behind said member and in engagement therewith, a soap box behind the die block and having a wire exit opening, the soap box being in contact with the die block throughout an area surrounding said opening, and tension means independent of the die box connecting the supporting member and the soap box.

WELD MORGAN. JOHN N. WHALEN. 

